After not playing for nearly a year, Serena Williams' fairytale return to Wimbledon's Centre Court in 2022 ended with her first match in a heartbreaking tiebreaker against Harmony Tan.
Serena Williams loses to Harmony Tan in heartbreaking tiebreaker
Serena Williams, 40, hadn't played a match since Wimbledon 2021. She was forced to drop out due to a torn hamstring, and her return to Wimbledon in 2022 was nothing short of a miracle, Fox reported. Williams earned her way into the tournament with a wildcard entry.
On day two at the All England Club, tennis fans were eager to see a fairytale ending, and it appeared Serena might be delivering one in a thrilling contest against debutant Harmony Tan, Sporting News reported.
Tan bested Williams in the first set 7-5.
But Williams battled courageously in the second set, appearing to have her magic back, with a strong 6-1 sweep over Tan.
Then the battle really heated up in the third set, and the pair found themselves tied 6-6. But when it mattered most, Tan held her nerve, breaking the tie and walking away with the most impressive win of her career to date, winning the set 7-6 and clinching the match.
The 23-time grand slam champion waved to the crowd as she walked off of Centre Court, forced out in her first-round match. Her loss to Tan marks only the third first-round exit of a grand slam in her career.
For Tan, 24, this was her debut at Wimbledon. She's currently ranked 115th in the world, and her best finish at any major event has been the second round. The Paris native now moves on to face 32nd-seeded Sara Sorribes Tormo, who defeated American qualifier Christina McHale 6-2, 6-1 in the first round.
Why does Serena Williams wear black tape on her face?
Inquiring minds want to know! The tape doesn't appear to be positioned like the black stripes or black tape other athletes place under their eyes to absorb light reflections that can cause glare and impair vision. So what gives?
At the 2022 Wimbledon event, Williams had black tape positioned to the outside of her right eye, with another strip below it running from her cheek to the outside of her lip.
This medical tape is designed to help relieve her sinus problems, according to The Times.